Friday’s campaign round-up

FRIDAY’S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP….Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers.

* Reports today suggest Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) may not take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a primary after all.

* Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), as part of her gubernatorial campaign in Texas, included a series of hidden phrases on her campaign website, including “rick perry gay.” A reporter discovered that the site offers automatically generated words and phrases. A Hutchison spokesperson said “rick perry gay” would be removed.

* Republican candidates in both of this year’s gubernatorial campaigns — New Jersey and Virginia — are having a hard time with questions about Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination. Do they alienate Latino voters or anger the far-right base?

* Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has decided not to attend an event at the Reagan Presidential Library next weekend hosted by a prominent California Republican women’s group. There were reports that Palin had previously accepted an invitation, making this the latest in a series of scheduling problems for the conservative former governor.

* Hoping to coax North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven (R) into a Senate race against incumbent Sen. Byron Dorgan (D), the National Republican Senatorial Committee claims to have a poll showing Hoeven leading Dorgan in a head-to-head race, 53% to 36%.

* Democratic leaders hoped to see Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) run for statewide office next year, but he will instead seek re-election.

* And there’s apparently another uproar among Republican National Committee members. This time, the fight is over whether to let Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a key ally of RNC Chairman Michael Steele, become head of the party’s Rules Committee. Many party leaders perceive Greer as a moderate, and don’t want him in a position of influence.

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